Who should learn to code? Everyone!

Published December 9, 2013 by
Paul Lefebvre

We here at Xojo think everyone one should learn to code.

I first learned to code when I was a pre-teen (on an Atari 400). Back then, most computers were hooked up to TV sets and you saved the programs you wrote on cassette tapes (if you could save them at all). Computers were difficult to use back then and few people owned one, but that’s not the case any more. Be sure to check out this forum conversation for others perspectives on coding in the “olden days”.

But these days computers are everywhere. Your phone is a computer, your game console is a computer, your thermostat is a computer, your car is a computer, your TV Is a computer and soon I hear your watch will be a computer.

If computers are so prevalent, doesn’t it make sense to know more about them? This is a driving reason why you (and everyone) should learn to code. Other reasons I can think of include:

It’s fun

Improve your critical thinking

Provides some concrete behavior for abstract concepts

Profit

Impress your friends

Make your job easier

It’s a valuable skill

Switch careers

Obviously, we love it when people learn to code using Xojo. One of the benefits of learning to code using Xojo is that it is a fully integrated development environment. That means everything you need to get started is in one place so you don’t to worry about complicated setup or learning multiple technologies to get things done. And because we want to make it as easy as possible, we’ve created a free book for you: Introduction to Programming Using Xojo. Plus we have nearly 100 webinars & videos, see this Playlist of videos to help you get started. If you’re short on time, you can also check out the short Introduction to Xojo video which shows you how to create a web app in less than 15 minutes.

In the spirit of learning to code, this week is Computer Science Education Week (December 9th through December 15th). You can use Xojo to take part in the “Hour of Code” that they are sponsoring this year.

So grab yourself some Xojo and take the first step towards learning to code! And don’t forget to tell us all about your progress on Twitter (@xojo).